A Cringleford photographer is currently second place in a contest which could see him win a trip to the Arctic Circle.

The photo of the Norfolk barn owl that won Yuli the GDT competition (Photo: Yuli Panayotov)

Yuli Panayotov is competing with others around the globe to win a place on ‘Fjällräven Polar’ - a 300km Arctic Circle adventure.

Mr Panayatov, 39, is currently second in the UK/Benelux category which includes the UK, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. One person from each worldwide category will be picked to accompany professional adventurists on the trip, which is set to take place April 2018.

Scottish woodland (Photo: Yuli Panayotov)

Winners will travel from the Norwegian Fjord area down to Swedish Lapland via dog-sled passing various Arctic sites along the way.

Yuli, a keen photographer who won the bird category in the GDT (Gesellschaft Deutscher Tierfotografen) Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2014 for a photo of an owl taken in Norfolk, is hoping the trip will inspire his next photographic endeavours. He has always had an interest in cold conditions and places that defy the imagination.

Photo: Yuli Panayotov

Yuli’s wife Silviya, 37, said that her husband is also committed to helping maintain the ecological balance of the Arctic and believes joining Polar Fjallraven will help him bring the story of the Arctic into our consciousness.

“I am determined and desperate to help. It is very important for him as a person but also to the community,” she said.

A scene in Scotland (Photo: Yuli Panayotov )

The couple have two young sons and have been living in Cringleford for the past four years. Yuli currently owns a small water business in London but has dreams of becoming a full-time photographer. Wildlife and nature are his true passions but he has been conducting seasonal work as a wedding photographer, too. His wife Silviya works as a paediatric nurse at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital in the A&E department.

In order to win Yuli must obtain the most numbers of votes within his category. Voting is free and closes on December 17. You can vote for Yuli here.